Media Madness

Relax and Enjoy! 

The Henrietta Public Library recently received some wonderful new classical works on compact discs.  Classical music encompasses many types of musical formats: symphonies, concertos, quartets, and operas, vocal and instrumental soloists to grand choruses. Our library collection tries to appeal to all different musical styles and formats.  Many of our compact discs are collections of famous parts of larger works.  Choral Adagios has over two and half hours of choral works from great operas to folk songs sung by the Choir of King’s College, Choir of New College, Montreal Symphony Orchestra Choir, Choir of St. John’s College, London Opera Chorus and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This CD includes arrangements of the exquisite “Humming Chorus” from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Franks’ “Panis Angelicus”, Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”, “In Paradisum” from Faure’s  Requiem as well as Mascagni’s beautiful “Easter Hymn” from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana.  Other pieces on this compilation are not traditionally heard with words but cannot be overlooked as their familiar melodic lines beg to have lyrics; Barber’s “Adagio” and Ravel’s “Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte” are examples.  Also included on this CD are the perennial favorites “Simple Gifts” by Copeland and the evocative “Shenandoah”.

Another new compact disc incorporates many of the same works as the CD mentioned above but Classical Heartbreakers: the Most Moving Classical Music of All Time is associated with film soundtracks. This two CD compilation includes everything from Mascagni’s “Intermezzo” heard in the film Raging Bull, and the haunting “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” from Somewhere in Time, to less ‘classical’ tracks such as “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic, or the “Theme from Schindler’s List” by John Williams. As you go to the movies next time try and hear the soundtrack in a new way – they could be the next “classic” of the music world.

Whatever your taste in music, the above titles will come in handy when the economy and the dreary days of late fall bring you down. They are soothing sounds meant to calm.

Come on in to the Henrietta Public Library and “check us out” 

Nancy Maxwell

Audio-visual Librarian